3D release?

[Osi Osgood]

Attention David. This is just a thought, but have you given any thought to releasing a classic blue red 3D film from the 50's? I honestly don't have the ability to do so, but I know that I would be happy to buy a good 3D digest of House of Wax or The Mad Magician, especially a great 600ft digest! Those two films could nicely make for a great 30 minute digest.

[David Baker]

FUNNY you should ask .
I'm currently eyeing HOUSE OF WAX , THE MASK and a new cut of CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON in Red / Blue or Red / Cyan Anaglyph .
Not on my schedule for 2021 , but a very good possibility of 2022 . And they would be 20 or 30 minute digests .

What say you forum members ??

[Paul Adsett]

Well David, I hate to be a downer, but you have asked for opinions. I have seen both the original U8 release of Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the Derann reprint. I was not impressed with either one of them. There was a lot of "cross-talk" between the left and right images, only for a few minutes was the 3D effect really worthwhile, the rest of the time its a real eyestrain. Plus the glasses really darken the picture, making large screen viewing just about impossible. I just don't think 3D is viable on super 8.
I have always thought though that Creature would be a terrific black and white digest......in 2D!

[Oliver Feld]

David, You can definitely count me in for a 3-D-version of „Creature from Black Lagoon“. I am sure that You will make the impossible possible and bring us a great picture.

[Lee Mannering]

A 400ft House of Wax would be wonderful as my Mum and Dad went to see it in full 3D at the London Cinema in 1953. Dad was always talking about the 3D on that huge screen, I so wish he was here today to sit next to and watch it again on the 3D Blu-Ray. Got no mummy or daddy anymore 😪 and I miss them so....

Dad was so keen on 3D he made a rig with two 9.5mm cine cameras linked with 2 cables making films then projected them with 2 Specto 500 projectors also cable tied. Amazing stories from Dad and results were good.

Yes Dave House of Wax please :-)

[Brian Fretwell]

Paul, yes the colour needs to be exact to match the filters in the glasses used to watch to get good 3D effects. The fact that those original ones were on SP or Eastmancolor didn't help. As for the lower light we will all have to go to Xenon or HID lamps like Lee (and myself when I eventually get to work on it).

[Maurice Leakey]

I am a trifle confused by the comments above. "House Of Wax" was not 3-D with colour glasses. The glasses were polarised.

The film was shown on two projectors which were interlocked, and special dispensation needed to be obtained from the local authority for the projectors to have 6000ft spools, this at a time when nitrate film was still in use on reissued titles for Sunday showing, With 6000ft spools running around one hour an intermission allowed the two projectors to be relaced.

I know, I was a trainee projectionist in 1952, and it was my job to make up the nitrate prints. Only a limited amount of film was allowed in the projection room at one time, hence the comments above above the 6000ft spools.

April 10, 1953: Cinema enters a new dimension as 3D horror film House of Wax hits the screen | BT


Maurice

[Brian Fretwell]

And I saw The Mad Magician at the NFI in a two projector polarised B&W showing. The reissue of House of Wax I saw was off a colour version printed side by side anamophically squeezed so it could be shown on one projector.

[David Baker]

Well Paul , THANK YOU for your comments , and you are NOT a " downer ". I do have to agree with you too . My 16mm " CREATURE " extended 30 minute digest cut that ran at Cinesea a few years ago was GREAT ( on a silver screen ) ! We used RED / CYAN colored glasses and it was GREAT 3-D !!

Oliver and Lee - thanks for the positive thinking on this too .

Brian you are right on about the colors matching the film and glasses . The original U-8 CREATURE had RED / CYAN glasses . As time past , the film prints faded and people lost their original glasses and started using RED / BLUE glasses which didn't work well with the film prints . It was the same with IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE and Columbia's release of MAD MAGICIAN in super 8mm . In fact HOUSE OF WAX premiered 35mm films at Cinesea a few years ago and a Fuji re-released 1981 low-fade print was run with side by side images for single projection 3-D , on a silver screen . It was absolutely stunning ! And this film is returning to another Film Collector's event this summer . ( something I am working on and I will announce it on this Forum when everything is set in stone )

Maurice there were 16mm RED / BLUE Japanese prints made with subtitles ( in Japanese ) , from the original 35mm prints of HOUSE OF WAX .

THANKS ALL and I do want your opinions on this , as I have given some deep - vision thoughts on releasing some anaglyph 3-D films , BUT there has to be enough intertest to warrant it happening .

[Maurice Leakey]

Thank you, David
I am obviously not up on modern technology.

Maurice

[Oliver Feld]

I tried a blue filter on my faded „Creature“ digest and - it didn’t work🥺
It‘s so sad what the time does to the prints...

[Lee Mannering]

Maurice. A good few years ago one eye of the 35mm was for sale at Ealing. Some years later the other eye was for sale at my own film fair for The House of Wax 3D. Kick myself now from a nostalgia point of view.

There was a anaglyph vhs tape about, later dvd as I have house of wax. So, there must be a anaglyph film print also as this was before todays digital. Didn't one of the 16mm libraries have a 3d print for rental back in the day?

[David Baker]

Lee , I do recall seeing someone advertise it in THE BIG REEL , oh I think around 1978 or so . They were asking 500.00 for it and included 50 pairs of 3-D RED/BLUE glasses .
I have an IDEAL PICTURES catalog and they listed HOUSE OF WAX . In 1975 I called them and asked them if they both " left " and " right " prints . They said they only had the " right " print , which is used as the standard " flat " version .

[Lee Mannering]

Really fascinating. I guess it would be pink/red by now After Curse of Werewolf success a 200ft of House Wax in B&W may also be popular and a great souvenir.
Two prints pleasel

[Osi Osgood]

I'm all in for House of Wax, personally. Though I am sure that your digest version of creature looked great (especially those underwater sequences with all the underwater plants), but it's been done, while House of Wax hasn't made it to super 8, and a color 3D! Awesome!!